Paris Jackson Responds to Casting of Joseph Fiennes in Michael Jackson Film

Paris Jackson took to Twitter to speak out against Urban Myths, a television film about her father, Michael Jackson, as well as Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando.

The film released first-look photos of actor Joseph Fiennes in costume as Michael (Stockard Channing will play Elizabeth and Brian Cox will take on Marlon). There has already been a slew of backlash to the images, and Paris is among those who are extremely offended by the choice to have a white actor portray a black musician.

"I'm so incredibly offended by it," she wrote on Twitter. "I'm sure plenty of people are as well, and it honestly makes me want to vomit."

She's not the only member of the Jackson family who is upset. Michael's nephew Taj Jackson also used social media to share his concerns. "Unfortunately this is what my family has to deal with," Taj wrote. "No words could express the blatant disrespect."

In 1993, Michael told Oprah Winfrey that he would never want a white actor to play him in a movie. The talk show host had asked him about a rumor that he had wanted a white boy to portray him in a Pepsi commercial, to which Michael responded, "Why would I want a white child to play me? I'm a black American. I'm a black American. I'm proud to be a black American. I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am."

As for Joseph Fiennes, he acknowledges that his casting is "sensitive territory," but his excuse against whitewashing the singer is that Urban Myths is a "lighthearted comedy" and he did not sign onto the role with a malicious intent.

Comedy or drama, whitewashing and erasure are never OK, but unfortunately it's incredibly prevalent in the industry. The lack of diversity in Hollywood has been an issue for years, and although there have been improvements, it is still poses a huge challenge for actors of color. In the past decade, approximately 73.7% of characters in movies have been portrayed by white actors, according to a recent study. The fact that this statistic has remained stagnant for almost 10 years is abysmal. So when there is an opportunity for a black actor to portray an iconic role that is based on an actual black person, and that role goes to a white actor, it adds insult to injury.